Dark Empathy
by Stravik
Summary: A tale of a bond between two siblings, blossoms into something much more than just brotherly love. Together they find out what true love really means. [Angst, Language, YaoixSlash, Incest, Lemon] [RikuxRyne]
1. Authors Note

**IF YOU LEAVE NOW YOU'LL REGRET IT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!**

**  
**

** Don't let this little page scare you off.**  
** There's oodles of sexiness, and angst awaiting ahead of you.**  
** Suspence, drama, YAOI!**

**READ AND REVIEW DAMNIT**

**♥**

**WARNING:** This Fanfiction is for mature audiences only!  
Explicit content and language. Please view at your own risk.

**(Now go to the Prologue!)  
GO NOW  
And please Review!**

**Author's Note:**

These characters do not belong to me.  
They belong to _Square Enix_ and _Disney_ companies.  
The only character I own, and fully copyright is **Ryne**.

I have created him from my imagination, and I do not want to see others steal him.  
I know it's not a true Fanfic with an _original_ in it, but I wanted some incest in my story, so I created Ryne.

Now, without further adue, please enjoy the story.


	2. Prologue

**Dark Empathy**  
_A Kingdom Hearts Fan-Fiction_

Average Read Time: 8 mins

Prologue

**History**:

Years ago, Sora and Riku lived on Destiny Islands as children, and grew up as best friends. Kairi had moved to the island soon after, and joined the boys. Yet there had also been one other member from that group of friends. Riku had had a younger brother, named Ryne. Before Kairi had even moved to the Island, it was always those three doing everything together.

But the day that Kairi had moved to the island, Ryne had discovered the door to the other worlds, in the cave on Destiny Islands. It had been unlocked at that time, and it was opened. Ryne had been pulled inside, by the darkness. And as soon as his body had been consumed, the door shut tight, and was sealed the next time anyone had seen the door. And those next people had been Riku and Sora when they were still children.

As the door to darkness had shut, the memories of Ryne had faded into the darkness as well. Any recollection of memory, or thoughts on the boy that anyone had ever had, was erased. It was as though the boy had never existed. And it stayed that way for a long while. Until the day Riku himself, had stepped out of the darkness, and came back to the light. That was 10 years later, when the day had come that Riku and Sora had defeated Xemnas together.

Ryne had been confined in The World That Never Was. The Organization knew of his presence there, but could never find him. They resorted in just ignoring him, and focusing their attentions on Roxas instead. Ryne himself had become a Nobody, when Riku had lost his heart. When he had become lost to darkness. For a long while, Ryne had been in pain, because of his brother's foolish decisions. But as soon as the darkness had been filled up with light, Ryne had become whole again. And that was when his calling had been heard, and freedom had reigned.

Now Ryne travels the worlds, trying to find his purpose. He doesn't dwell on the past, nor does he find it necessary to bring it back or search for it even. Yet to this day, he still wonders if the memories of him ever came back to those he had loved dearly.

**Present Day:**

Months had come and gone since the incident with Xemnas. Ryne had accepted the fact that he might travel the worlds alone forever. Just as he was beginning to get used to being beside himself, he had come across Destiny Islands once again. It was different though. Off in the distance, he could see a city. He blinked a bit, watching the city in the distance. It seemed that it was only a boat ride away. It had the same island like feel, from what he could see. But it seemed to be much more modern. It didn't matter though. What really mattered was that he had finally reached his home.

After walking through the crashing waves of the ocean, and up onto the sandy shore he stopped only to see someone in the distance. He had turned to look on the small island with the Papou Tree planted there. Lying on its branches was a familiar figure with white hair, and aquamarine eyes.

Ryne could only stare at the man, as he watched the other move off of the branch. He stood straight, and turned to look back at Ryne. The two caught each other's gazes, and stared at one another with the same blue orbs. The identical bodies both moved forwards until the young man was at the edge of the island, and Ryne was at the edge of the shore.

"Ryne…" The young man whispered at an undertone.

"Riku." Ryne had replied in a similar tone to the other.

The memories had come flooding back to Riku. It was like a slap to the face, and it was almost overwhelming. There were so many thoughts, and so many misplaced recollections that he had forgotten years ago. They were back now. And he knew that he'd finally found the missing piece to his heart.

**(Go to Chapter One)**

**© Stravik, 2006**


	3. Chapter One

**Dark Empathy**  
_A Kingdom Hearts Fan-Fiction_

Average Read Time: 14 mins

Chapter One

_The sensation felt pleasurable, yet painful at the same time. The fire like touches to his body burned inside of him. They were molten, yet icy cold. This man… this sadistic bastard was doing it to him. Moving his touches about his body in a rough manor. He tried to cry out, but the mans hand held firm over his mouth. The cries came out muffled and distressed. He tried to get up, but the mans other hand held fast. It was placed firmly on the others chest to keep him from getting off of the cold and barren pavement. The mans mouth was moving over his naked body, ever so gently. His tongue moved across his nipple, causing it to harden underneath the wetness. It was bearable for the meantime, until the sick fuck bit down hard on the flesh of the nipple. He cried out in pain, his back arching from the discontentment he was feeling. Tears stung his eyes, and the lids closed tightly._

Ryne's body jerked upright in his bed, as he stared straight into the dimly lit room. The morning sun had crept through his blinds to notify him that it was a start of a new day. He brushed a lock of platinum hair from his view, and in the process had found out he was in the midst of a cold sweat. He looked down at his hands in his lap, and raised them up a little. They were shaking. Ryne swallowed, and looked ahead again. Just a dream…

More like reliving a horrid memory.

There soon came a knock on his door. "Ryne?" The voice came, before the familiar face of his brother peered around the corner of the door. "You up?" He asked as he came into the room fully now.

"Obviously." Ryne muttered as he watched him from his bed.

His brother glanced upward some before looking back at him again. "Are you still up for going downtown today?" He questioned.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes to get ready." He said as he moved out of bed and across the room to his dresser.

His brother watched Ryne carefully for a few moments, until Ryne noticed that he was still standing in the frame of his door. He raised his brows a little, and looked back at him. "A little privacy here?" He asked, as he pulled out a pair of black cargos from his dresser.

He looked at Ryne and raised his brows in return. "I was noticing that scar over your right breast. It looks… redder."

Ryne looked down, and stared at his bare chest. The marks around his nipple were more noticeable. "Fucking bastard." He hissed through gritted teeth.

His brother looked at him in confusion. "Huh?" He didn't understand who or what he was talking about.

Ryne blinked, and looked up again. "Nothing." He said softly, before he moved towards him and started to push him out the door. "Give me a little privacy now, eh?" He said glaring at him as he grasped the door once he got his brother outside of his room. It was only then that he noticed which shirt he was wearing. It was his favourite brown and white graphic tee. "And for God's sake Riku, quit taking my shirts!" He shouted at him, before shutting the door in the others face. He smirked a little for some reason, and he moved across the floor toward his dresser again.

* * *

It was a while before Ryne finally came down the stairs. He adorned the black cargo pants he had held up earlier before, with a white muscle shirt. Over top of that shirt he wore a smaller blue shirt with a few zippers on it. His left arm had a black band around it, and he wore a few necklaces around his neck. He wore a couple of rings to top it off. The tattoo that ran down the length of his right arm was visible and exposed now as well. It had black patterns that ran from underneath his sleeveless shirt to the tip of his middle finger.

He moved into the kitchen where Riku was, as he yawned lightly. Riku had started cooking what seemed to be bacon in the pan for the both of them. It sizzled and hissed as it cooked, while Riku moved around to get plates for the both of them. "No eggs, right?" Riku asked as he set a plate in front of Ryne when he moved to the table and sat down.

"You know me all too well." Ryne said, as he placed the pad of his finger on the ceramic plate. He circled it around the edge of the plate absent-mindedly while Riku spoke.

"Of course I do. You're my little brother." He said, ruffling Ryne's hair as he passed by him to go to the fridge.

Ryne frowned a bit, fixing the jagged white locks into place once again. "Uhuh."

Riku had moved to the stove then. He looked over his shoulder and frowned a bit. "Ryne, what's wrong? This entire past week you've been acting so different." He muttered carefully as he got the strips of bacon and placed them on the others plate.

Ryne looked up from the plate and stared at him momentarily, before looking back down again. He wasn't about to tell Riku about his nightmares. He just couldn't. And he hadn't even told the entire story behind them to him yet anyway.

As if to save Ryne from this predicament, the doorbell rang. The chime echoed throughout the entire house causing the two to silence.

Both of the brothers looked toward the front door, before exchanging glances. Before Riku could speak, Ryne stood up and started out of the kitchen and toward the front door. "I'll get it." He called back as he disappeared around the corner.

Riku watched him leave the kitchen and sighed as he sat down at the table.

Ryne had opened the door and looked to see who was standing before him.

Sora held up a hand in greeting. "Hey Ryne. You and Riku ready?" He said grinning.

Riku had come up behind Ryne and looked to Sora. "We haven't eaten yet." He stated.

"We can grab something on the way downtown." A gruff voice said, as he came up the front steps of the porch.

Sora looked behind him, smiling a Leon a bit before looking back at the brothers. "Leon's right Riku." He began as he shifted his weight onto his other leg, before he held up a hand and crossed his index finger and middle finger together. "Promise."

Riku stared at Sora and Leon for a moment. Finally, he shook his head and held his hands up in exasperation. "Fine. Just let me go and turn the stove off." He said, and left to go back into the kitchen. He soon came out, after turning it off and stepped onto the front porch once again. "Let's go." He muttered a tad bitterly.

Sora noticed the tone in Riku's voice, and frowned upon it. He nudged him in the side, and grinned up at him. "Lighten up, huh?"

Riku said nothing as he locked the door behind him. He moved off the front porch and toward Leon's Jaguar parked in the driveway.

Sora sighed. "There is just no way of getting through to that guy." He placed his hands on his hips, before he headed toward the vehicle. Ryne and Leon followed suite, and they all got into the Jag. Leon moved into the drivers seat with Sora in the passenger's side beside him, and Riku and Ryne in the back seats.

"To downtown." Leon said as he started the car to life and pulled out of the driveway. In the suburban area Leon was a very decent driver. He certainly was careful, that was for sure. The car ride through the streets seemed to be a silent one. It was only when Sora spoke, that the ice had broken. "So... I haven't seen you two lately. What have you been doing these past few weeks?"

Riku gave a shrug of his shoulder in response to Sora's questioning. His gaze fell outside of the window, saying nothing more to him.

Sora rubbed his neck some. "Oh... Uh... well." He wasn't quite sure what else to say to that. He had been just trying to make friendly conversation between them.

_Prick_. Ryne thought to himself as he stared at Riku in regards to his response. His gaze turned on Sora then and he smiled. "Well, just last Thursday, Kairi, Selphie and I were at the movies. And when we came out, you'll never guess who we saw. We saw-" His words were cut off however, when Leon had switched speeds when he got onto the expressway. It seemed the instant Leon had pulled into his lane he floored the gas pedal. The sudden action made both Riku and Ryne jerk back into their seats and clutch the arm seats tightly in their grasps. Sora seemed unaffected by this change in speed. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself judging by the smile on his lips.

"L-Leon?" Ryne began to slowly speak his name. "Maybe… maybe you should slow down."

Leon frowned instantly then and gave a shake of his head. "If I slow down, we won't get there in time."

"In time for what? We're not going anywhere!" Ryne cried out in protest.

"Quit going so damn fast." Riku hissed as his hands tightened around the armrest once he saw what Leon was going at. 112k/h.

"We've got to go fast if we want to make it in time for breakfast at Lodger's." Sora explained as he twisted in his seat to look back at the brothers. "They stop serving hash browns at 11:00."

"We don't _have_ to have hash browns..." Ryne said softly as he sank into his seat a bit.

"You did say that you haven't eaten yet. And we promised you breakfast on the way." He added with a grin and turned in his seat to look at Leon. "Right?"

"Right, baby." Leon answered back, and leaned over and gave Sora a brief kiss on the lips. His mouth hesitated to pull back however, and the couple soon found themselves in an inseparable lip lock. Their tongues intertwined and Leon's hands began to shift away from the wheel to find Sora's groin.

"Leon!" Riku yelled as the car began to turn by itself into the opposite lane. He quickly undid his seatbelt and crawled overtop of Leon's seat. He grabbed the wheel immediately before they could run into any cars. It was hard to maneuver the vehicle from the current position he was currently in. Especially since his feet barely touched the ground from having to lean over the seat. It was like trying to balance yourself on a bar, using only your stomach as your means of contact.

"Leon! Take the God damn wheel!" He shouted angrily as he took a glance beside him at the pair.

Leon and Sora were quite happily indulged with one another. They were oblivious to everything else around them. They were lost in the ecstasy of pleasing one another.

Riku glared at them before glancing forwards again to keep his eye on the road. "Leon, I'm serious! Take the fucking wheel, right **now**!" His gaze ripped away from the road for a minute and moved behind him at his brother. "Ryne, help me!" He shouted at him and looked forwards again.

Ryne was immobile for the moment. His eyes were locked on the view he currently had on Riku's ass. He had been sitting in the seat right behind Leon, so he got quite an observation from where he was. He swallowed and tried to register what Riku had just said. With an ass practically in your face, all you can really do is look away, or stare straight back at it. And Ryne had oddly chosen the second option. He couldn't help it. He was ridiculously infatuated with it, which made him even more confused.

He wasn't gay. And he certainly was not in love with his own brother. He was sure of those two facts. He looked down when he suddenly felt his pants tighten. He cringed and instantly covered his groin with both hands. He was getting an erection? No, this couldn't be. It didn't make any sense. He tried to think of all possible explanations for his current dilemma. Maybe he was thinking of a girl… yeah. That must have been it. There was no other way he would be attracted to a man's ass if he weren't thinking of a woman in the process.

The only problem was he couldn't think of any girls that could turn him on this badly. In fact, he couldn't think of any that turned him on at all. He frowned in thought at that. Maybe he was a-sexual. Maybe he wasn't attracted to the female species at all. No, no that couldn't be it. He'd had girlfriends before. And that still didn't solve the reasoning behind him liking Riku's ass. His thoughts were drained soon enough. Like pulling a plug in a bathtub full of water, when Riku shouted his name again. "Ryne!"

Ryne's thoughts drained completely and he was back in the real world. How long had he been contemplating over Riku's ass?

"Ryne! For the last time, **help** me!" He yelled at him in an angered tone.

Ryne's mind shut off from that topic entirely as he focused on trying to help his brother. He undid his seatbelt and moved up a bit to Leon and Sora. "Guys, seriously! Cut it out, we're going to get into an accident!"

Leon stiffened then as he pulled back from Sora to look at Ryne. "Hn…?" He blinked slowly looking as though he were drunk on lust.

"Get back to the fucking wheel already!" Riku yelled at him.

It clicked in, and Leon immediately moved to sit upright and straight back into his seat. He moved a tad too quickly though and his foot slipped over and on top of the break pedal.

The tires squealed and every body jerked to the left in sync of the spinning vehicle. Riku had turned the wheel around to try and get it under control when the car was stopping.

"Let go of the wheel!" Sora shouted from his seat at Riku. Riku did, and the Jag screeched sideways to a halt and out of the lane. It was too much of a sharp turn that an SUV didn't have time to stop from hitting their car. It ran into the car head on from the side and sent them off the road from impact.

The sound of the side of the car hitting the hydro pole was the last thing Ryne heard, before he felt his body pass through shattered glass, and his world turned black.

**(Go to Chapter Two)**

**© Stravik, 2006**


	4. Chapter Two

**Dark Empathy**  
_A Kingdom Hearts Fan-Fiction_

Average Read Time: 16 mins

Chapter Two

_Pressure. Pressure with exotic pleasure. That was how it felt. The hand held his limp appendage in a firm grasp, while the other hand held his wrists above his head. The fingers that were around his member, gently stroked the tip of the head and down the shaft. A long thumbnail swept across the opening of the head as pre-cum began to slither under the thumb.  
Pressure. The pressure was back again as he tried to keep from releasing the load he felt building inside of him. Bastard. Sick bastard. Why was he doing this to him?  
A God-forsaken moan escaped from his lips before he could stop himself. The hand was moving down to the base now, pulling and palming up and down the shaft. Despite the fact it was a glorious feeling, his head told him otherwise. He didn't want this. He didn't want this! The fingers moved away from his member abruptly before he could come. The man was doing this on purpose. The scowl that was beginning to move across his lips however, turned into that of shock when he looked the other up in the eyes. Those eyes. They held lust, and murder. The mix of the two blended into what he was now._

_His body was suddenly turned around so that his stomach was on the ground, and his back facing the other. He wasn't quite sure what the man was planning on doing, but he twitched in horror when he figured it out. The man was beginning to move himself inside of him._

Ryne awoke with a jolt, and stared into the sudden whiteness of the room. It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the brightness. His brows furrowed in confusion. Why was everything so white? His eyes widened suddenly, as thoughts began flooding into his head. "Oh my God..." He nearly whispered into the air. "I'm dead."

A soft giggle startled him to sit upright then. "You're not dead." A feminine voice said lightly.

Ryne turned his gaze over towards his left where he heard the voice come from. A woman stood there with a tray of food in her hands. She was wearing a pink dress, and had a matching pink ribbon attached to the back of her head. Brown boots adorned her feet as well. Forest green eyes peered at Ryne with interest from beneath parted bangs. She tilted her head to the side some, letting the brown locks fall over her shoulder. "And how are you feeling today?" She asked softly, setting the tray down at the bedside table. It had a couple fruits on it, and what seemed to be oatmeal in a ceramic bowl.

"Like shit." He replied as he started to raise a hand to his head. He stopped in mid motion when he saw the IV hooked into his hand. He stared at it, and then began looking around. Almost all the furniture in the room was white. Dressers, beds, sheets... There were also curtains encasing beds in the room to ensure privacy. However, he was the only person in the room, save for the woman. At least, he thought so judging by the empty, and neatly made beds. Other items including medical equipment and various monitors told him this was a hospital.

He froze and then looked to the woman who was still standing beside him. "What happened to me?"

The woman smiled sadly as she pulled up a chair next to his bed. "You were in a car accident." She said, watching him carefully. It almost looked like she was holding back a relief of tension.

Ryne stared right back at her and decided to ask. "Why do you look so relieved?"

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of the door opening to the room had caught both of their attention.

An elderly man walked in at that point, dressed in all white. A long white beard hung down the front of his robe and traveled all the way down to his feet, where he had similar white slippers. A long pointed hat sat atop of his head to top off his outfit. The only bit of colour that mildly stood out was his hazel eyes that were shielded behind round spectacles.

He stepped forward and underneath the mat of white beard hair, a small smile broke through. "Ah, I see you've finally decided to wake up." He said.

Ryne's jaw dropped as he stared at the elderly man. _Oh my God_, Ryne thought to himself, as he noted the others attire. _He's a member of the K.K.K_.

The man frowned and looked at Ryne a bit irately. "Con found it, for the last time, I am **not**!" He said crossly. Apparently he could read minds. But Ryne's expression probably gave it away as well that he figured that out.

"I'm just trying to fit in, is all." He continued as he took out a long wooden wand from one of the robes' pockets. Ryne wasn't exactly sure how he was able to conceal that wand without having anyone notice it.

_Wait... a wand?_

"Shazoo!" The man said as he waved the wand above him with two bony fingers. His outfit had instantly changed into a royal blue instead of white. "It always seems to be the hat." He muttered to himself as he touched the tip of his hat carefully, before he pocketed the wand once more. "Ah well." He now turned to the woman. "You can leave now Aerith. I'll take it from here." He said, smiling again.

Aerith nodded and stood up and off the chair. She made her way toward the door and shut it softly behind her.

The man waited until she was gone before speaking. "Sweet girl, she is." He said as he began to stroke his beard a bit. "Very helpful nurse indeed." He then looked back at Ryne. "Right then. We should do a few checkups on you to see how you're pulling through." He said as he moved toward the bed. As he did so, he pulled out his wand from his pocket.

Ryne backed up against the head of the bed, sitting up a bit straighter. He did **not** want that thing near him.

The man sighed, and stopped about a foot away from the bed. "Look, I'm not going to turn you into a frog or anything. Levitating things just makes my life easier." He said, obviously having read his mind again. To prove his point, he lifted the wand again and levitated an apple off the food tray that Aerith had left behind. He grabbed the apple in mid-air, and held it in his hand. "See?" He said before taking a bite of the fruit.

"Oh." Ryne looked away now, feeling a bit foolish. However, questions began to flood into his head causing him to look back at the old man. "Who are you?" Was his first blurted question.

"Well, I'm Merlin my dear boy. Magician extraordinaire! As well as a professional doctor." He paused for a moment, and raised his eyes a bit to the ceiling. "I think." He scratched the side of his head a bit. That wasn't too comforting. The man noted Ryne's sudden nervousness then, and he couldn't help but smile.

Ryne stared at him carefully, looking Merlin up and down. Well that explained the outfit, and the wand. But that still didn't explain why he was here in the first place. "What happened to me?" He repeated the question he had asked Aerith moments before.

Merlin's smile faltered and he became more serious now. "You were in a car accident." He stated.

"I've got that much, but what else happened to me?"

Merlin sighed and stroked his beard absent mindly. "You were in a coma Ryne." He said looking off ahead of him.

Ryne felt a sick churning in the pit of his stomach at that point. "A coma...?" He repeated staring at Merlin with full attention now. He cringed before daring to ask another question. "For how long?"

Merlin continued to keep his gaze away from Ryne as he spoke. "A good several weeks. Twenty-three days to be exact." He began. "We were afraid you might not come back at all." He said with sadness underlying his tone. "The neurological damage done to your brain was severe. Severe enough to make you not come back at all." He said the last part softly as he turned to the side. "There was only a very small chance of you coming back..."

Ryne's mouth had opened a bit in sheer shock. He felt about ready to hurl, and just by letting the information sink into his head he felt about ready to cry. He cringed and lowered his gaze to the floor. "How much of a small chance...?"

Merlin turned around and shook his head. "It was very small. That's all you should need to know."

Ryne's gaze flicked up in anger and he glared at the older man. "Look, I'm alive now, aren't I?" He practically shouted at him. "What does it matter if I am now? For Christ's sake, just tell me the God damn number!" He felt his hands tremble on the bed from clenching them so tightly into fists.

Merlin looked at Ryne fully now. He stared at him for a long time without saying a word. It seemed ages before he finally spoke. "Five percent." He muttered slowly.

Ryne's breath caught in his chest at that point. Five percent...? Five percent? Good lord. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He felt as though he were frozen in time. Like he was to think that one and only thought over and over again.

Merlin brought him back into reality when he levitated a stethoscope into the air and brought it to his hand. He had taken it off a table full of medical equipment and supplies. "I'm just going to check some things to make sure your body is working properly." He said softly. He was trying to change the topic so Ryne could take his mind off of what he'd just been told.

For the next half hour, Merlin checked various parts of his body, such as his breathing, heart rate, reflexes, and other things. Throughout the whole procedure, Ryne sat silent and unmoving. He was immobile but he wasn't completely oblivious. He had found out the numerous injuries he had, that he hadn't noticed before.

There was a thick bandage wrapped around his head, and his lower chest. There were bandages on the few minor cuts and gauze tightly wound around the flesh where there were much larger wounds. He hadn't exactly broken anything. Just sprained a few ribs where the bandage around his chest was. There were an awful lot of cuts though. He wanted to ask why he had so many, but he really didn't want anymore disturbing news today. So he had kept to himself.

Merlin had soon left him and headed out of the room to let Ryne rest up. Ryne wasn't quite sure how much sleep he would honestly get within the next few days he spent in the hospital by himself. Instead of sleeping, and in hopes of avoiding any nightmares, he simply lay there and tried to calm himself back into a serene state. It was all he could do to try and pass the time he held by himself there.

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoing down the hall near his doorway was what got his attention after a few good hours of doing absolutely nothing that morning. He couldn't have slept at all. He hadn't had any nightmares. He wouldn't succumb himself to falling asleep anyway. Assuming it was just Merlin or Aerith coming up to check on him, he lay back on the bed and shut his eyes once more.

"Ryne?" The familiar voice came, as the door opened and the young man peered his head around the corner of the door.

Ryne's eyes opened instantly, and he turned his head to look at the door. "Riku...?" He called slowly, and then saw his brother's form standing there and watching him. It was Deja Vu all over again. It was just like old times. The memories of Riku coming into his room in the mornings rushed back to him. He felt tears well up inside of him as he started to sit up.

"Jesus." Riku muttered softly, and quickly hurried to Ryne's bed, and embraced him tightly. His arms wrapped around his brothers' backside, and pressed his forehead into the crook of Rynes' neck. "I thought... I thought you were. They told me you probably wouldn't..." He began to speak nonsense in a shaky voice, unable to finish his sentences.

Ryne felt pain in his chest from how Riku was hugging him, but he didn't care. He just wanted to have Riku hold him. He just wanted to sit there, and hug him back. It was only a few moments before he felt the tears drip onto his bare shoulder. He hesitated before he let go of Riku to look him in the eye. He was crying.

Tears streamed in fine lines down Riku's face, as he watched his brother in silence. His hands were still wrapped around his back, unable to let go. Ryne felt them tremble on his backside. Riku eventually took one of those hands away from his back, and brought it up to brush a piece of the platinum hair that had fallen in his eyes. He cleared his throat a bit, before his gaze wavered off to the side a bit. "I was so scared... that I was going to lose you again." He said softly.

Ryne could feel tears stream down his face now as well. "I know. I can't believe..." He couldn't finish his sentence now either. His voice was becoming shaky now like Riku's had before.

"I was so scared for you Ryne." He said watching him carefully. "After I saw you go through the window, I knew that there would be something awful that happened to you."

Ryne shifted his head from the gaze that had followed the others to the floor, and looked at him in the eyes now. "What?"

Riku blinked. "You mean, you don't remember?"

Ryne glanced down a moment to think. He tried thinking back to the last thing he remembered and felt. It was glass. He cringed, and looked at Riku again. "I sort of do... What happened after I went through the window?"

"After the car skidded off the side of the road it hit the hydro pole, and that's probably what sent you through the window from impact. There was so much force on the pole that it bent over and landed on the ground. You were only a few feet away from where the pole landed." Riku shook his head. "You don't know how lucky you are Ryne. That pole could have crushed you."

"Yeah, well my head wasn't so lucky now was it." He muttered in a low tone.

Riku frowned a little, running fingers down his face again to wipe away the tears, trying to hide the evidence of his empathy towards his brother. "No... You're right. The rocks your head hit in the ditch were what brought you into this hospital. But you're strong. I knew you'd come through." He whispered softly, and gently placed a kiss on his forehead before leaning back again.

A kiss? That was different. He knew his brother cared about him, but he really didn't know he cared for him so much as to kiss him. It wasn't that he didn't like it. In fact... a little part of him wanted him to desperately him again. Perhaps on his lips, or maybe something more. He stopped his thoughts right there, when he noticed that Riku was silent and was watching him after he had kissed his forehead. He stared at him, and quickly tried to come up with something so that he wouldn't see him begin to flush. "So if I went out the window, how come you didn't?" He asked quickly. It actually hadn't turned out to be a bad question. Something he probably would have asked sooner or later. "You weren't wearing a seatbelt either."

"I had a death grip on the door handle." Riku answered lightly. "But I let go as soon as I saw you go through the window." He stopped, and suddenly started to raise his shirt.

Ryne blinked in surprise and straightened up on the bed a bit. _What hell was Riku doing? First a kiss, now he was taking his shirt off? _"What... what are you doing?" He asked as he began to stare at the muscled flesh that was being exposed to him. He stared at Riku's abdomen and worked his eyes up his figure slowly. But his gaze had stopped at the top of his stomach. He knew why he was lifting his shirt. He was showing him a mark on his chest that had started to scab up. It wasn't too big. It almost looked like a knife wound. But it was angled in an awkward position.

"After I let go of the handle, the impact had already happened. But the pole was just starting to fall. The wires above had snapped off from the other poles, and one of the live wires hit the front window of the car. It had fallen with a few bits of metal and had landed right on top of me. A shard of glass went through my chest." He said, and pulled his shirt back down, and leaned into the back of the chair beside the bed. Ryne had to keep himself from whining in protest when he saw that the flesh of his body was hidden once more. "So aside from getting electrocuted and the shard stuck in me, I was pretty well safe."

Ryne nodded his head, having looked away from Riku for the moment. He paused remembering who else was in the car with them. "What about Leon and Sora? What happened to them?"

A scowl formed on Riku's lips as he glared off. His nails had dug into Ryne's back as soon as he mentioned those two.

Ryne winced in pain, and shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

Riku stopped applying pressure onto his back, when he realized that he had hurt Ryne in the process of his anger. "Sorry..." He muttered softly, and moved his hand away from his back now. "Leon and Sora. They had air bags. So they weren't harmed at all." He said, and then he suddenly began to smirk. "But that shitheads car is demolished now." He said referring to Leon.

Ryne raised his brows. He had noted some tension between the two before, but he didn't know it was this bad. He honestly had no idea what his grudges were against Leon in the first place. He let out a small sigh, and he looked off again, trying to think of anything else he needed clarified. That about summed it all up. But there was just one last thing he needed to know. One of the most important questions he had to ask. He looked at Riku again, distress attached in his gaze.

"When can I go home?"

Riku slowly started to smile, and he embraced his brother once more. This time he was careful to be gentle and to not hurt him any further. "Right now. That's why I'm here. Aerith called me a few days ago, when you first woke up. She said I couldn't see you until today, because he was still doing some checkups on your body. That's why he kept you for a bit to make sure you were alright. He says you're fine, and that you can go now."

Ryne smiled and turned his head away from Riku. Thank God. He couldn't stand to be in this place another minute. He just wanted to go to his own house, his own room. His own bed... He needed to also get his mind off of the past events, and what had all happened within the past month.

Riku started to stand up now, and looked at Ryne with a gentle look. Tears were threatening to pour down again his face again. "Let's go home." He whispered softly.

Those last few words that Riku spoke were like heaven to his ears. And he wouldn't want to have it any other way.

**(Go to Chapter Three)**

**© Stravik, 2006**


	5. Chapter Three

**Dark Empathy**  
_A Kingdom Hearts Fan-Fiction_

Average Read Time: 21 mins

Chapter Three

The sleep had locked Ryne into utter bliss, and serenity. It would have seemed that he wouldn't have gotten any, due to the horrific nightmares that usually had followed once he drifted off. Yet this time was different. Everything was blissful. He hadn't a care in the world. It was wonderful, but it was also a little awkward.

Riku had taken Ryne home that day. After Merlin had prescribed some medication for Ryne, the two moved off and towards his blue and white Corvette. Riku had practically had to carry his brother the whole way to the parking lot. He had felt so faint, and weak after being immobile for nearly an entire month. But Ryne didn't argue. He let Riku take him to the car. Even though it might have seemed a tad embarrassing to be carried like a baby. It didn't matter however. No one had seen them. At least he had hoped not. His dignity had fallen quite enough as it was.

Once in the car with Riku, Ryne had started to feel sleep come over again. It was probably the kodine in the medication. He feared falling asleep, but somehow having Riku beside him in the car made things better.

The ride home had been short, or so Ryne had thought. He guessed that Riku had taken him out of the car as well, and carried him to his room, because when he awoke he was in his bed.

* * *

Ryne stared up at the ceiling for a long while. He let his vision adjust to the darkness of the room, before he sat up. He yawned a bit and looked to the blinds on the window. His brow furrowed some in thought. It must have been a cloudy morning, because there was no sunlight streaming through the cracks of the blinds. He moved his gaze away from it, and moved to get out of bed. 

He padded across the floor, stifling another yawn as he made his way down the stairs. He moved into the kitchen and stopped. Riku wasn't here making breakfast. Which was quite odd. Plus... why was it so dark? He looked toward the kitchen window, and made his way toward it. He opened the blinds and looked out and up into the sky. The moon was full, and bright. Stars twinkled outside, covering the sky in a blanket of shiny white dots. It wasn't morning.

Ryne turned away from the window, and he looked to the clock on the stove. It read 12:41. Ryne frowned and moved his way to the kitchen table, and sat down. Great. He must have slept through the whole day, and now he was wide-awake. He placed his head in his hands, and placed his elbows atop the table. He blinked some. Well... maybe he wasn't _entirely_ awake. Maybe a few more kodine pills. Then he would be able to fall asleep.

He had shifted to stand, but he never got to his feet. His eyes had closed before he could move, and soon he was drifting off into a restless sleep.

_Laughter echoed throughout the area. It was a low rumbling chuckle that had started to evolve into high-pitched cackling. Ryne shuddered, as he backed up and looked about the area. It was the familiar place. Same dreary buildings. Same darkened skies. Same empty street. But the man was nowhere to be found._

_Ryne swallowed and started to back up a bit more. He could feel the coldness wrap around his body. He could feel the light drizzle that had poured down from the skies. It was surreal but... he felt like it was actually happening. Like this wasn't a dream. The laughter had soon stopped abruptly, which caused Ryne to stop in his tracks as well. He rubbed an arm, and looked around cautiously. Where was he...?_

_"Behind you." A voice whispered harshly at his ear. It was a voice that could strangle you with one word._

_Ryne's eyes widened and he spun around to face the man dead on. But just as he stared at him, eye to eye, his body wrenched awake._

Ryne sat upright in the chair gasping. He could hear the blood pounding in his head, while his heart raced. He took a swallow of air, and breathed out shakily, trying to calm himself. He glanced down at his hands. His nails dug deeply into the oak wood of the table, but... there was moisture on them. Not just his fingers, but his whole body. He took his hands away from the table to inspect them. They had dew on them, like there was a mist of some sort that had fell on him. He started to wipe them off on his boxers, despite the fact they were wet as well.

He twitched at the surprise of coldness he felt when one of the fingers brushed his leg. It was icy cold. He paused a moment to stare at his hands once again. In experiment, he moved them together, clasping the hands with one another. He shivered some. They were freezing cold. This didn't make sense. How was he wet and cold, when it was hot and humid in the house?

The dream...

He stood up quickly, nearly knocking the chair back over in the process. He cringed, and held his hands at the side of his head. His fingers clutched at his moist hair as he backed up. "Oh God... Oh God it was real." He whispered softly to himself. No, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be. He shook his head, and quickly made his way up the stairs. He turned quickly around the corner to the bathroom. He shut it behind him, before quickly locking it. He wasn't quite sure why he had locked it. He just felt safer. In his own house? Jesus. He was starting to lose his head over this.

Ryne knelt down to the bottom cupboard underneath the sink, and pulled out one of the fluffy white towels. He moved towards the bathtub and sat at the edge. He clutched the towel to him a moment like it was some sort of security blanket. This was ridiculous. There had to be some sort of explanation for all of this. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and started to wipe himself off with the towel. Maybe the air conditioning was on the fritz or something. Or he could have had a cold sweat while he was dreaming. That was probably it. He sighed some, and stopped himself once he felt dry again. He clutched the towel to him again, and breathed in the scent of fresh laundry. It was clean. So pure... It was almost comforting. His closed his eyes again, and breathed in the scent once more. It seemed to relax his entire body this time. He opened his eyes again only to stare at into the darkness of the world.

_He twitched and looked around frantically. Oh God. No. He was in the city again. He was dreaming. He looked down at his hands to stare at the towel. The soothing scent must have calmed him so much, that he fell asleep again. He dropped the towel to the ground immediately at that point. Ryne tightly wrapped his arms around himself as he began to back up now. He made his way into a corner of a building and an alley near him. "Stop dreaming... stop dreaming..." He whispered to himself quietly._

_The laughing had started up once again, like it had before. That laugh made Ryne nervous. Especially since it echoed everywhere, so it was hard to pinpoint where the source was coming from. The laughing had soon enough subsided, and a voice had cut through the silence that had followed after the laugh. _

_"You honestly think you can try and convince yourself that this a dream?" The voice of a man sounded. It seemed to be coming closer to Ryne with each passing second._

_Ryne pressed his back against the wall, and sunk down to the ground trying to make himself as less noticeable as possible. Little good that probably would do. _

_"I certainly can't blame you." The voice continued. "I would be afraid too, if I were you." He hissed. It seemed the man was only a few feet away from him now. But Ryne couldn't see anything. _

_He slowly started to stand again, back continuing to press against the cold brick. His fingertips were placed behind him as well, shaking from the fear and cold. His head turned in every direction, trying to figure out where he was._

_"Found you." His voice came at an undertone to Ryne's ear again. _

_Ryne wasn't quick enough to move this time. Long elegant fingers, encased in black leather gloves came forth from the solid wall. One grasped around Ryne's wrist, while the other moved to cover Ryne's mouth tightly. The black portal swirled menacingly behind him. He could almost feel the darkness pouring from behind him, as the figure of the tall body stepped into the light a bit. "It's time Ryne. I've been waiting far too long for you for this to be a dream any longer." The other said as he pulled the other into the darkness._

_Ryne thrashed, trying to scream, but the hand over his mouth kept him from doing so. He shut his eyes tightly as he felt the light starting to fade. All around him he could only feel the darkness. It was so cold... So empty... He felt a drip on his forehead. It was cold as well. What was it? It didn't make any sense. He opened his eyes to see what had dripped onto his forehead._

He opened his eyes to stare at the faucet of the bathtub. The tiny droplet of water threatened to drip down, as it tried to collect enough water to fall from the metal opening. After a while it fell from the tap, and dripped onto Ryne's forehead. He blinked at the tiny splash it made between his eyes. He brought up a hand to brush away the water that had landed on his forehead. He paused to look at the red marks around his wrist. It was from the man. But he wasn't there anymore.

He wasn't dreaming. He was awake. He was back home. It only took another few seconds before another droplet fell onto his forehead. This time he sat up in the tub after it had dripped onto his head. He brushed the water off again, and he looked around the bathroom. His eyes fell upon his legs hanging over the edge of the tub. He must have fallen backwards and into the tub.

Ryne breathed out carefully, and slowly made his way out of the tub. He rubbed his back some, and looked around the floor for his towel. He was wet again, and needed to dry off. He frowned, unable to find it. He wondered for a few minutes trying to figure out where it had gone, when it hit him. His towel. He had dropped it in the dream. His face fell now as he moved across the bathroom to the sink. He placed his palms on the edge, hands grasping the ceramic tightly. That wasn't possible. That towel... it couldn't still be in the dream. It couldn't. But then again... that man had said it wasn't a dream to begin with. His body stiffened and he shook his head. "This is insane." He muttered to himself, as he knelt down to the cupboard to grab another towel. He wiped himself dry for a second time, before shutting the cupboard again.

How was he supposed to sleep? Now his nightmares were becoming more real than he had ever imagined. Would he never be able to rest again? He moved the towel away from his face, and he stared down at the tiled ground. There had been that sleep he had on his way home from the hospital with Riku. He frowned a little. He didn't understand why he hadn't had any nightmares then. He stood there in thought for a few minutes, until he had realized something. "Riku... It's Riku." He looked up again, and stared at the door. His gaze turned to look at the lock on it now. He was able to fall asleep when Riku was beside him. So maybe...

Ryne made his way to the door, after throwing the towel in the hamper. He unlocked the door, and peered around the corner of it, just to make sure no one was there. He couldn't help it. He was still in fear from those nightmares, or whatever they were. Slowly he made his way out of the bathroom and down the hall to Riku's door. He looked to the knob, and for a long time he just stood there, debating on whether to go in or not.

Did he really want to fall victim for another one of those nightmares? Did he really want to come face to face to that man again? No... He didn't.

Ryne let out a sigh, before he eventually turned the knob and peered inside of Riku's room. It was pitch black, and hard to see. But he was able to find the silhouette of Riku's body lying in his bed. Ryne opened his mouth, but then shut it again. Why was he so nervous about this? He gave himself a mental shake before he forced his name out. "Riku?" He called out softly to his brother, waiting to see his reaction.

Nothing. His body hadn't moved at all.

Ryne frowned a bit, and he stepped forwards into the room more. He cleared his throat a bit, before he called out again. "Riku?" He said a bit more loudly.

This time Riku's body shifted a bit. "Mm-hm..." The drowsy voice of Riku replied, indicating that he was half awake, yet half asleep still.

Ryne stood there temporarily before shutting the door and making his way over to Riku's bedside. "Can I... sleep with you...?" He asked. Well, he finally let it out. He wasn't quite sure if he regretted it or not though.

Riku was silent a moment before his body turned to the side to look at Ryne standing over him. "Huh?" He squinted through the darkness to look at him. He was trying to fight the sleep that still had a hold on him.

Ryne bit his lower lip a bit, before he spoke again. "Can I sleep with you?" He repeated the question a little more softly now.

Riku blinked sleepily, letting the question sink in before he answered. "Yeah." He said yawning a bit and started to shift over closer to the wall to let Ryne in beside him.

Ryne waited until there was enough room for him, before he moved into the bed next to Riku. He shifted his head onto the pillow, turning his back to Riku. It was big enough to at least fit two people, but it wasn't exactly a large bed. Because of this, their bodies touched each other a bit. Ryne tried to ignore it... but his thoughts swirled around Riku's body next to his. What was up with him lately around with Riku?

Riku shifted again, and sat up on his elbows looking at Ryne now. "Why are your boxers wet?"

Ryne's eyes opened, and he realized that he had forgot to change before he came into Riku's room. He turned his body a bit, so he could look over at Riku as he quickly tried to come up with something. "I... fell in the tub."

Riku stared at him, raising a brow in confusion. Not that Ryne would have been able to see the look of confusion on his face anyway. "The tub." He repeated, staring at him still.

Ryne cringed, his gaze moving away from Riku for a moment. What the hell else was he supposed to say? But Riku didn't give him a chance to answer anyway.

"Whatever." He sighed. "Just take them off, I don't want to sleep next to you when you're wet."

Ryne's whole body froze, and he looked back at Riku now. His eyes had widened a bit, and he was glad for the darkness. He didn't want the other to see the look of fear on his face. "Take them off...?"

"Yeah." Riku said, as he lowered himself back down onto the bed.

Ryne kept still for a while, not doing anything. Under normal circumstances, he would have just walked into his room to go and grab a pair of his own boxers. But with how tired he was he was afraid he might fall asleep again in the process of making his way into his room. And Riku's boxers didn't fit him, so he couldn't borrow a pair of his. Riku was a bit… _large_ in areas.

Blushing a bit, he finally started to pull his boxers out from underneath the covers. He moved them out from underneath the blankets, and set them down on the floor carefully. He made sure he was as close to the edge of the bed as possible now, before he closed his eyes once more. He felt better lying next to Riku, but he still felt unsafe for some reason. He frowned to himself, hunching his shoulders up a bit.

"You had another nightmare, didn't you." Riku's voice came softly.

Ryne flinched at the sudden statement Riku had made. He shifted his body fully around now to face Riku. He was staring dead at him. "How did you know...?"

"You called out in your sleep every night for about a week, before you ended up in the hospital." Riku replied, before he spoke again. "I heard you downstairs, and in the bathroom too. I was just about to go and check up on you again."

"Again?"

"Every time I heard you scream at night, I went into your room. Then the screaming stopped as soon as I came in. It's usually right before morning that I come in, before you wake up. But not tonight. Tonight was different, wasn't it?" Riku's eyes narrowed some as he questioned his brother.

Ryne just stared at him, unable to form words. Riku had done that for him? Was that why he always woke up before something worse had happened to him? But... the last few dreams Riku hadn't came to him. That was probably why everything had felt so much for real... because the dreams had lasted longer. Long enough to make things actually become real.

Ryne stared at Riku, before he shook his head. "I... can't tell you."

Riku sat up a bit again, using his elbows to hold him up. "Why not? I'm your brother, you should be able to tell me anything."

He frowned when Ryne didn't answer him. He moved near Ryne's body a bit more, as looked at him closely now. "Ryne... You can tell me. You know you can. You don't have to be afraid." He said softly. His voice held comfort, and reassurance. Those qualities were probably what made Ryne answer.

"Do you remember... back on the Island. When we were kids?"

Riku nodded slowly.

"Well... when I was pulled into the door. I landed in a world. A world that never existed. The World That Never Was."

Riku twitched a bit, recalling back to the memories of that world. The memories of being stuck inside Ansem's apprentice's body. It was the day that he was also re-united with Kairi and Sora. The day he and Sora fought side by side.

"The Organization there… it was the home of Nobodies." Ryne continued. "And I was in it, from the very beginning. They knew I was there, but. Getting Roxas back was their main focus." He paused for a moment, before he spoke again. "Do you remember when you and Sora fought together? Against Xemnas?"

Riku nodded his head again, listening intently to Ryne now.

"Well... near the end... when Sora was in his clutches. And you were trying to get him back... I was the one who was helping you. You're body at that time was still hallow. You were like a Nobody at that point. But not exactly... I was your other half. I helped you along the way. I didn't want you to lose. Even if you didn't remember me, I still wanted you to move on with your life, and live another day." Tears welled in his eyes, as he glanced down. "Together we got Sora back. And once he was free, I left your body. That was when the light entered your heart, and the two of you finished him off together." He smiled a bit sadly now. "It wasn't the first time I had helped you out. That little light inside your heart, that kept you at bay from complete darkness? That was me." He laughed a little now, and shook his head. "I guess Xemnas didn't like that much."

Riku frowned and stared him carefully now. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Xemnas isn't dead. I don't know how... I don't know why... But he's back, and he's in my dreams. And they're becoming more and more real every time I fall asleep." He said softly, the tears dripping down his face now. "So now you know." He muttered, turning away from Riku now.

Riku's face fell, compassion showing on his face now as he turned Ryne's body around to face him. "Ryne. You're not alone anymore. Remember that. I'm here now, so we can figure this out together, alright?"

Ryne's head nodded a bit, his gaze unable to meet Riku's.

Riku took a hand, and held Ryne's chin up so they could meet eye to eye. "You're not alone. I'm here now." He repeated, before moving his arms around his brother. He held his body close to him for a hug, obviously not caring if he was naked or not.

Ryne hesitated, before he wrapped his arms around Riku's back and returned the hug. He was so warm... and so comforting. It was only then, that he soon felt a shiver run through Riku's body.

"You're bloody cold." He whispered a little harshly, and pulled the blankets further over them. "Here, keep your hands in mine." He said softly, before taking Ryne's hands off of his back, and he held his hands in his own for a while so they could warm up. After he had held them there for a while, he noticed that Ryne had started to close his eyes a bit. Hesitating briefly, he moved his hands away from his, and turned his back to the other some. His gaze lingered behind him at Ryne until he saw that the other had finally started to sleep fully now. He watched him, gaze unwavering until he too turned around again and drifted off soon as well.

**(Go to Chapter Four)**

**© Stravik, 2006**


	6. Chapter Four

**Dark Empathy**  
_A Kingdom Hearts Fan-Fiction_

Average Read Time: 20 mins

Chapter Four

The smell of smoke swirled around, and flowed into his mouth filling his lungs. It had done this for a while now. But it was only up until now that he smelt it. It triggered a twitch in his throat, and Ryne sat up with a cough. He looked across the room to see Riku sitting on the ledge of his window. He had one knee brought up, and the other was dangling outside of the window. His back was leaning against one side of the wooden frame of the window. The aquamarine orbs peered past the bluish-white locks that hung in front of his gaze. The light of the morning sun hit the other on an angle, causing oranges hues and shadows to spread across his profile.  
Ryne realized then that he was staring at his brother with his mouth opened. He shut it, but found he didn't try to look away quickly enough for Riku not to notice.

"Finally up, I see." His voice came cool, and crisp after having blown some of the smoke out of his mouth. His head tilted down from where it leaned against the frame. His eyes locked with Ryne's before they had time to escape his gaze. There was something lingering in his eyes. Something Ryne couldn't quite place. It was unnerving.

"Yeah." He finally mustered out when he saw that Riku wasn't going to look away until he answered him.

Riku's stare continued to lock itself on Ryne though. He still had that look in his eyes. And being dead silent didn't really help the matter for Ryne either.

Ryne cleared his throat some, and broke off from the stare having let his eyes shift off to the side. "So. Breakfast ready?"

The intense blue of Riku's eyes moved away finally, and wandered outside and off into the horizon where the sun continued to rise. He raised the cigarette delicately to his lips and took a long drag of it. He let the smoke fills his lungs momentarily, before he let it flow out of his mouth. "I didn't make any."

Ryne stared at him in mild shock. He hadn't made any breakfast? To a normal family, that would have been no big deal. But for the entire time he'd been living with his brother he had always made breakfast before he got up. It was so abnormal to Ryne. Perhaps he hadn't heard him right. "You didn't make any?" He repeated, just to make sure.

"That's right." His brother answered calmly. He flicked some of the ash off of his cigarette out the window between his thumb and index finger.

Ryne's gaze held some confusion, but he supposed it wasn't such a big deal. "Well, are you going to make any?"

"No." The answer came direct, but had lost some of its tranquil quality.

Ryne's brows furrowed and he looked at him with some irritability. His face softened however when he realized it was stupid to get all worked up over something as simple as breakfast. Just for some reason it frustrated him, knowing that something was up, and he wasn't being told what. Or was it he who wasn't telling Riku something, and was frustrated with himself because he couldn't tell the other?

He quickly dissolved those thoughts before he could continue them any further. His eyes had found the boxers lying on the floor. The ones he'd taken off that night, when Riku had told him he didn't want to sleep with him when he was wet. They looked dry now. His eyes moved upwards a bit and he looked at Riku again. His gaze was still locked outside from where he sat. Ryne looked back down at the boxers, and leaned over the edge of the bed to pick them up from the ground. He moved his body to sit at the edge of the bed and he pulled the boxers over him in haste.

Once Ryne had arisen, he made sure to spare a glance over at Riku to make sure he hadn't noticed. But he was looking dead at him now. Ryne's face flushed, and he turned away, avoiding his gaze. This was beginning to become really strange. "I'll go and make my own breakfast then." He muttered softly, and moved across the room and towards the door. He let his hand move towards the doorknob and turn it, but only found it to be locked. He frowned, and tugged on it again. It was still locked. How was that possible from the _inside_ of his room? And why?  
Ryne's body stiffened, before he looked back and over at Riku. He was still watching him. Ryne swallowed a bit, and looked back to the doorknob, then back to Riku again. "Why… is your door locked?"

"To keep you from getting out." Riku's voice came a bit intimidating from where he was. He had flicked the butt of the cigarette out the window, and was now starting to move from the ledge and onto the ground. Ryne flinched when he saw that he was starting to make his way towards him. Riku stopped infront of the him, and stared his brother down.

Ryne shied away some, and further towards the door. "To keep me from getting out?" It clicked in then, and he looked at him startled now. "Wait, what? Why are you locking me up in here!"

"I just told you." Riku muttered some, as he continued to watch him.

"Yeah, but _why_?" He persisted.

"So you'll be safe, dear brother." Riku answered, and he moved around Ryne and towards the locked door. He pulled out a key, and stuck it in the lock. He unlocked the door and rested a hand upon the knob._  
Dear brother? What the hell was that about?_ He certainly was being cocky this morning.

"Safe from what?" Ryne stared at him angrily now. He looked to the key that Riku had pulled from his pocket. His eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "And since when did you have a lock on the inside of your door?"

"Xemnas." He said the name with mild disgust, but smiled for some reason after he had said the name. He then opened the door and stepped half way out. "And since last night. I did it while you were sleeping." He answered. "There's one on the outside of it too. And only one key." Riku held up the key between two fingers, and waved it.

Ryne growled, and leapt for the key in Riku's hand, only to land against Riku's body in failure. Riku held it up in the air, and out of Ryne's reach. A crude smirk crept up his face before he shoved Ryne away and back into his room.

Ryne staggered back some and tripped, landing onto the ground. He sat there glaring at Riku. "You asshole!" He shouted at him.

"I know." Riku replied and started out of the room closing the door firmly behind him. The sound of the lock was heard from the outside of the room, before Riku's voice sounded again. "And don't even think of jumping out the window either. I've got a little friend hanging out around at the bottom to come get me if he sees you try and leave." That was the last thing Riku had said to him before he moved across the hall and downstairs. There was some scuffling and rummaging in the kitchen for a few moments as well. The front door shutting was the last sound Ryne heard before the house fell quiet.

Ryne stood up, and peered at the door in fury. "Riku!" He made his way towards it, and began to tug on the doorknob violently. "Riku let me out!" He called aimlessly into the silence. It seemed like forever that he was calling Riku's name hopelessly, as he still had tried to open the door in dismay. Eventually Ryne had given up, and moved towards the bed to sit on the edge. "Jerk." He muttered to himself, before his eyes had rested on the open window. He watched the curtains blow gently in the early morning breeze. He shivered a bit once the breeze had hit him from where he was. Days in Destiny City were always warm. Why was it so cold today? He stood up, and started for the window out of curiosity. He wanted to see who was down below waiting for him.

Ryne placed his hands upon the sill and carefully stuck his head out to look below him.

At a first glance there didn't seem to be anything there. However at a second look, there seemed to be a white little figure moving across the grass at the side of the house. An antenna protruded from its head with a small red ball attached to it. It bounced up and down while it moved from shrub to shrub. It was almost like it was trying to camouflage itself. The little creature soon stopped, and moved it's tiny head to look up at the window. "Kupo!" The creature cried and ducked into the bushes. Obviously it hadn't wanted to be seen.

Ryne's eyebrow twitched some, and he wasn't exactly sure whether to laugh, or shake his head in condemnation. "A moogle." He pulled his head back in and moved away from the window. "He can't be serious." Ryne muttered to himself. He made his way over towards Riku's dresser now. He was getting cold. And he thought it best to just grab one of Riku's sweaters instead of shutting the window. He needed some fresh air today, if he was going to be cooped up all day. He opened the drawer where Riku kept some of his shirts and rummaged around for one of the hoodies inside. He finally found a plain black one and pulled it out. As he did so, a small piece of paper floated to the ground infront of him. His gaze turned downwards at the paper. He bent down and picked it up. It wasn't a piece of paper. It was a photo.

Ryne peered at the photo closely. It was of him and his brother at the beach together. They were on the beach blanket sitting side by side together. Riku was actually smiling in this picture with him. He flipped the picture over to read a small note on the back in blue ink. _Saturday Afternoon – Ryne and I at the beach._ He remembered this photo now. Kairi had taken this picture about a couple months ago. He smiled to himself a bit before he laid the photo back inside Riku's dresser. "I wonder why he keeps that in there." He said to himself, as he pulled the hoodie over his head. He shut the drawer while fixing his hair back into place from having gotten messed up by the material pulled over his head.

Moving back over towards the bed, he sat back down and let out a heavy sigh. Ryne looked around for something to do. He had no idea when Riku was going to get home to let him out. And he was stiff bored. He grumbled to himself and he flopped back down onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling in annoyance, and then looked down again. His eyes caught sight of a very peculiar looking book protruding from the other books that were stacked in Riku's bookshelf by his bedside. He got off of the bed and made his way towards it. His hand reached out to grab the book, and once he pulled it back he realized it was a scrapbook. He ran a hand over the front cover. His fingers gently moved across the front of it, before he opened it. Inside were photos; hundreds of them. And below each picture, there was a small comment to be found. Much like the one he had pulled from Riku's drawer.

Some of the photo's held Kairi and Sora in them. Others were scenery's from other worlds. And there were some even of him. His gaze shifted away from the scrapbook momentarily to look back at the shelf again. He hadn't noticed before, but all of the books looked exactly like the one he held in his hands now. Ryne reached out and grabbed another book, before opening this one as well. It also had photo's similar to the first. They were scrapbooks. They were all scrapbooks.

He knelt back down to the ground again, and started to shift through them carefully. He never knew about these before. Riku never told him about all of these photo's he had. There were just so many. He couldn't believe Riku had put these all in scrapbooks.

* * *

Ryne had spent the rest of the day looking through all of the photos that Riku had in the scrapbooks. He never looked to the clock once to check the time. He was so indulged in them, he hadn't even spared to glance and see what time of day it was. Ryne was currently on the second last scrapbook that Riku had on his shelf. He was just finishing turning the last page when he stopped to look at the last photo. It was of him sleeping. Ryne stared at it carefully. Riku had taken a picture of him sleeping?

Ryne continued to look at it thought, before he plucked the photo from the protective laminated sheet. His eyes moved over to the scrapbook momentarily to look at what the comment below the picture was to read. There was nothing there though. It was the only picture without a description. Ryne frowned some. Why had Riku taken a picture of him while he was asleep? It didn't make sense. Just as his thoughts were swirling around in confusion, a small snap and rustle of the bushes outside caught his attention. He looked up and out towards the window. He was surprised to see that it was pitch black. He didn't even stop to notice the change in light as the sun died down and the moon rose high. He must have been looking through the photos by moonlight now.

Ryne set the photo and the picture down, before he stood up and made his way over towards the window. He stopped infront of it, and glanced outside into the darkness. He looked down at the bushes then, only to find nothing. He scratched his head a bit before making his way back towards the books. It was probably that moogle. He had been ignoring everything around him for so long, his senses were most likely more acute now. He sat back down on the ground, and put the picture back in its laminated slip. He shut the scrapbook, and set it back on the shelf. His fingers moved to grab the last book, but he stopped in mid motion when he heard another snap. His gaze turned to look at the window again. That moogle was starting to make him uneasy now. He let his hand drop away from the shelf, and he stood up again moving over to the window for a second time.

Ryne leaned his body out of the window to look down below and into the bushes. "You can stop trying to hide yourself now." He called out to the moogle. "I'm not going anywhere." He added, before he waited to see what the moogle would do. There came no sound or movement from the bushes. Ryne leaned back again and continued to watch below for a few more seconds until he turned around to move back to the bookshelf once more. He only made it half way across the room when he heard another sound. It was a thud. And it wasn't coming from outside anymore.

Ryne spun around, and looked around the room carefully. He swallowed a lump in his throat and wrapped his arms around himself slightly. A cold breeze had started to pick up again. His eyes wavered over towards the window. He stood completely still this time. He made no motion of moving back over towards it. There came a light scratching sound from within the room now, but his eyes never left the window. He was immobilized to that one spot. Ryne's grip tightened on his arms before he finally dared to call out. "Hello…?"

"Hello." The voice came frigid and quite alarming from behind him. Ryne's body shook in apprehension, as he slowly turned around to meet the eyes of the man who had replied to him.

Riku stood there with a light smile on his face. He had his gaze locked on Ryne. He had that same look in his eyes. It was the same stare that he had got this morning. The one that was abnormal and deviant than the usual looks he got from his brother.

Ryne let out of sigh of relief. He hadn't known he'd been holding his breath the entire time. "Riku… it's just you." He said, and let his hands drop to his sides. "Don't sneak up on me like that." He muttered as he looked at his brother. He was relieved to know it was just him.

"Sorry." Riku muttered some, as he moved toward Ryne with a sympathetic smile. "So what'd you do all day?" He asked, giving a small cock of his head. "I know it must have been boring for you in here all day. But it was for the best."

Ryne's gaze shifted over towards the bookshelf a moment. He really didn't want his brother knowing he'd been snooping through his scrapbooks. He didn't want Riku to be upset with him. He looked back, and smiled a bit sheepishly. "Nothing. And I mean that literally." He added the last bit sarcastically. Something occurred to him then, and it started to make him wonder. "Wait, how come I didn't hear the door unlock when you came in?" He asked in question. "Let alone the door even _open_?"

Riku turned his head to the side a bit and he shrugged a shoulder. "I opened it." He replied, and brought forth the key momentarily before pocketing it once more.

Ryne watched him carefully not really believing him, but decided to let it go. "Right."

Riku nodded as he continued stare at him silently. It was so unnerving and awkward that Ryne had started to fidget now. "Uh… so where did you go today anyway?" It was a question Ryne had wanted to ask him for a while.

A smile formed on Riku's lips. "You want to see?"

Ryne looked at him in puzzlement. "See? How?"

"I'll show you." He said and began moving towards the window. He stopped beside it and beckoned for the other to come over.

Ryne looked at him curiously, but made his way over to it anyway. Riku moved to stand behind Ryne, when he had come towards him. Riku lifted a hand and pointed out over towards the sea.

Ryne followed his gesture, his eyes moving over top of the cities buildings and streets, and then finally the sea. He followed his indication, and had noticed that he was pointing at the island. Ryne blinked and looked up at Riku. "Destiny Island?"

Riku gave a slow nod of his head, and he let his arm drop back down to his side. That only brought up more questions for Ryne now. "Why did you go there? And why for the whole day?"

Riku smiled again and looked at his brother. "For personal reasons."

Ryne watched him carefully before he turned to look back out the window and towards Destiny Island. "Oh." He let the word slip out of his mouth casually. It wasn't right to persist in trying to get his brother to tell him something. But goddamn, he wanted to know.

"Well… I _could_ show you if you like." Riku said softly, as his hands moved to Ryne's hips.

Ryne blushed furiously at how close Riku was moving against body. And his hands… his hands were on his hips? He bit his lower lip, and looked down a bit.

"It's something good, I can tell you that." Riku whispered softly at his ear. A hand had moved lower from his hip to move towards his groin. Two strong fingers gently caressed the tender area in a simple stroke.

Ryne's breath caught in his chest, and his body had twitched at the sharp pleasure that coursed through his body at the one action from Riku. His lips parted some, but he was unable to form any words to answer him.

Riku's other hand moved away from his hip to grasp Ryne's chin in his hand. He turned his head towards his face so that they met eye to eye. There were only a few millimeters of room before their faces would touch. But Riku quickly got rid of those few millimeters to bring their lips together. The kiss was rough, and wasn't exactly gentle. But it still sent shivers down Ryne's spine, and sent his mind into a spinning mess. And with Riku's other hand caressing his groin, it was hard to even care whether or not it was a bit rough.

Riku kept the caressing going, and held the kiss there for a long time, but eventually broke free from it. He only pulled back enough so that he could speak to other. "Or would you rather stay here… with me…"

Ryne could feel Riku's breath against his lips when he spoke, and he desperately wanted them against his again. His mind seemed completely shut off at the moment. His body was in charge now. And his body wanted Riku. Without a second thought, he gave his head a light nod. "Yeah…"

"You'll like what I'm going to show you here much better." Riku smirked, and his grip tightened on the groin a tad more roughly now. Enough to cause some pain this time. "I promise." He muttered a little more harshly at his ear this time.

In one quick motion, Riku had Ryne spun around and had moved him into the direction of the bed. He practically pushed the other towards it and shoved him down onto it. Once he was on the bed, another one of those rough kisses came to the others lips while he straddled him. His arms had Ryne's wrists pinned above his head now as well.

Ryne had cringed a bit at Riku's sudden rough attitude, but didn't care. His dream was coming true. His dreams were finally coming true. He kissed back in anticipation, wanting more of his taste as small moan escaped from his lips into Riku's mouth. There was something… familiar about it though, which made him hesitate in the kiss now. There was no pleasure in this anymore. There was something very wrong about this. He turned his head away to stop the kiss, but Riku was persistent. He nipped at the others lips when Ryne had decided to try and turn away from it. He moved one of the hands to grasp both wrists in a strong hold, while the other hand moved to grasp the others face. He turned Ryne's head so that he could look at him directly. But what he saw wasn't Riku at all. It was someone else. Someone who made his heart stop beating.

He tilted his head a bit, as he continued to pin the other below him. "What's the matter, Ryne?" He leaned in closer to press the haunting face right in front of him. "I thought I was your dream come true?" A dark laugh had started to bubble up from the man's chest as he watched the horrified look seep across Ryne's face.

"I'm back." Xemnas hissed, with a cruel grin upon his face.

**(Go to Chapter Five)**

**© Stravik, 2006**


	7. Chapter Five

**Dark Empathy  
**_A Kingdom Hearts Fan-Fiction_

Average Read Time: 19 mins

Chapter Five

Ryne felt his stomach lurch as he continued to stare the man in his eyes. The crimson gaze pierced into his own. The blue hair fell across his face, as he leaned forwards to look down upon Ryne. The sick little grin was still plastered across his lips. He was enjoying this. The sick fuck was enjoying this.  
He couldn't believe that he had just made love to Xemnas. And willingly too. He cringed a bit as he glared up at him now. No… he had tricked him. He would never be attracted to this man on his own accord. Never.

Xemnas smiled sweetly now, turning his head a bit to the side. "Seems you really do want me back." He murmured softly.

"No!" Ryne hissed, lifting his head up a bit to glare at him. "I would never want you. Never!" He was shouting now. Either because he was angry, or because he was simply just plain scared.

Xemnas smirked as he shifted to sit upon Ryne's stomach now. He still had hold of his arms, continuing to pin them above his head. He leaned forwards ever so slightly as he quirked a brow. "Funny. Just a second ago it seemed you did."

Ryne growled some, narrowing his eyes. "That's because I thought-" His voice trailed off then, his face falling a bit. His eyes shifted away from Xemnas, looking off to the side. He couldn't bring himself to say it. He couldn't exploit his current feelings for Riku. And especially not to Xemnas. He didn't even want to admit them to _himself_. But if Xemnas had caught on to his little addiction to his brother… there was no telling what he would do. But after the current scenario, he had a sickening feeling that Xemnas had already figured something out.

"Because you thought that I was Riku?" He finished Ryne's sentence for him momentarily, and that got Ryne to look back him again. Xemnas let up a little, straightening his back some. "I had figured you might have some sort of infatuation with your dear brother." He muttered softly before the smirk upon his face had curled up into another one of those cruel grins. "That's why I took the liberty of disposing of him temporarily."

Ryne's eyes widened and he stared at him in shock. "What…?" His voice came out quiet, and almost inaudible before he let forth his rage. "Where is he! What did you do to him!" He shouted at Xemnas angrily.

"Tsk tsk, Ryne. Such anger. Save the hatred for when you see what's been done to him." Xemnas said and had suddenly let go of Ryne's arms at that point.

Ryne hesitated in surprise, before he sat up quickly shortly after being released. He stopped in mid motion before looking at Xemnas in some disgust. He could feel the other beginning to get hard now, as he had started to rise up underneath him. "Get off of me." He muttered bitterly, unable to move his lower body due to the fact Xemnas was still straddling him.

Xemnas watched him a moment, before his hand rose to grasp Ryne's chin within his hand. "Not without a kiss first." He muttered gently.

Ryne flinched and tried to jerk away, but Xemnas' hand held fast. "No! Get off me!" He yelled at him, struggling to get away from Xemnas.

"Pity you can't quite follow orders from me anymore." He said moving towards Ryne's face. "It's what got you in this situation in the first place."

"Orders?" Ryne muttered with a glare locking onto Xemnas. "What are you talking about?"

Xemnas straightened a bit looking at him a tad perplexed. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Now get off me!" Ryne was desperate to get away from this man. And he didn't understand what he was talking about either.

Surprisingly, Xemnas shifted and moved off of Ryne. As soon as he did, Ryne had scrambled off of the bed and ran towards the door. He grabbed the doorknob and jerked on it roughly.

"You really are a forgetful one, aren't you?" Xemnas said with some amusement etched into his voice when he saw Ryne attempting to try and open up the locked door. "It's locked Ryne. There is no way of you getting out. I'm not letting you leave me. Not again."

Ryne shut his eyes tight, and let go of the knob slowly. _Not again? _He didn't understand. He didn't understand what Xemnas was carrying on about. He sagged against the door and continued to keep his eyes shut. He needed to get away. But he couldn't… he was trapped. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. A thought crossed his mind at that point. His head turned, and his eyes wavered towards the open window.

His eyes shifted toward Xemnas. His face still held amusement. He couldn't tell if he knew what he was about to do or not. It didn't matter though. His body was running towards the open window before his mind even had a chance to think it through a second time. His hands had grasped the ledge tightly, before he thrust himself outside.  
Fear began to seep through him as soon as his body was airborne. His breath had caught in his chest as soon as his body had started to plummet to the ground below. He flailed a bit in the air as he saw where his landing would be.

He had plunged downward and into the bushes at the side of the house. He winced in pain as his body hit the ground while twigs and sharp sticks pierced his skin. Ryne groaned and forced himself to turn over and move out of the bushes. He hurt so much. If it weren't for the adrenaline of fear pumping through his veins, he didn't think he'd been able to move at all.  
Ryne hesitated however when his eyes caught sight of a little white creature. He blinked and stared at the moogle that lay before him. It was the same one that had been supposedly guarding the house. The moogle just stared straight back at him, wiggling his pompous nose. "Kupo?" There was something odd about where this moogle was positioned. And it didn't take long for Ryne to figure it out. He had placed his hand on the ground and right through the moogle's body. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped some. His hand had fazed right through it. He quickly jerked his hand back and looked at the moogle.

The moogle's colours had started to fade now. He was beginning to turn black. His entire body was starting to fade away into what seemed like a shadow. A shadow? Ryne sat up a bit. Xemnas. He had created a shadow. It was more trickery. His eyes had quickly flicked up to the window at that point. There was no one there. Which meant he had to leave fast.

Ryne scrambled to his feet, and left the moogle and the bushes behind. He hurried out around towards the front of the house with a limp. The pain from the fall was searing through his body. It almost made him feel sick. He couldn't stop though. He had to continue running. He just had to keep running. But to where? Where was he going to go? He didn't know. The thought of fleeing was the only thing that was on his mind right now. It's what kept him going the entire time, despite the ache he felt course through his body.

He didn't know how long he'd been running for. It'd seemed ages before he finally stopped to rest. He had limped into an alley and there he stayed for a while. He leaned his back against the wall before sliding down it carelessly and onto the ground. His breaths came out in heavy pants, and he closed his eyes. He felt so tired. So weak… He just wanted to sleep. That's all he wanted to do.

"I knew you were arrogant Ryne… but I didn't think you'd be so rude to leave without even saying goodbye. And quite frankly, I'm a bit upset." The cold voice came from beside him.

Ryne's eyes snapped open and he turned his head to his right. There stood Xemnas in his black cloak. Behind him was the swirling pool of darkness he had stepped out of. He didn't look upset to him. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying himself.

Ryne clenched his jaw and turned his head forwards again. He felt so weak. But he had to move. He had to get away. He would never submit to this man.

Ryne started to shift off the ground carefully. He was making his way to his feet now. He winced in pain and started to hobble out of the alley as quick as he could. His strength was returning to him, but he was still damned tired. He wouldn't give up.

Xemnas' gloved hand gripped Ryne's arm. He jerked him back towards him before pushing him up against one of the alley walls. His groin pressed against Ryne's, his hand still gripping his arm in his grasp. Xemnas leaned his body in close to Ryne's, pressing his body fully against the boy now. His free hand had moved up to caress his face gently. "I told you I wouldn't let you get away." He murmured softly at his ear. "You're coming back with me."

Ryne moved his head to the side when Xemnas had spoken in his ear. But he had only moved his face further into Xemnas' hand when he did so. "Back with you where? I don't understand what you mean." Ryne said shifting against the wall uncomfortably. His gaze was turned to the side, avoiding the red eyes that always seemed to pierce right through his heart.

"Back to your non-existence. Back to a place where no memories of you will ever reach into the hearts of those you love dearly. Back to where time seems to carry on forever. Back into the darkness." Xemnas began. His fingers still gently caressed his face within his grasp. "Back to the World that Never Was." The fingers painfully clutched the side of his face now as the words hissed out of his mouth.

Ryne recoiled and he started to struggle against Xemnas now. "No… No please. Xemnas I- Please, I don't want to go back there." He fumbled the words out in a mess.

"You should never have left me, Ryne. Now you'll pay for disobeying me." Xemnas' grip on his arm had tightened as well now.

Ryne winced in pain before forcing himself to look at Xemnas. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Xemnas' eyes narrowed but he smirked again as he watched Ryne's face carefully. "Perhaps it's time I reminded you of all the things you've forgotten. But first…" Xemnas had started to back up as one of the swirling portals had opened behind him. The darkness flooded out, waiting for the both of them to move inside. "I think you would want to know where Riku is, hm?"

Ryne stared at him before he finally managed to speak. "Where is he?"

"I already told you where I was today." Xemnas began as he started to back up into the portal. The darkness swirled around their bodies as he dragged Ryne along with him. "And that's where you will find him."

Ryne's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but the darkness consumed him before he had a chance. All he could see and feel was the black nothingness that was around Xemnas and him. It was cold and bare. There was nothing tempting about this place.

Fear. He felt the fear consume him as he was brought into this darkness. He couldn't help but press himself against Xemnas a little more. He was afraid. Afraid of the nothingness. Up ahead however, shone a light. Ryne peered at it in the distance. It seemed to be moving closer. Or were they just nearing it? It was hard to tell. But soon enough their bodies had come within critical distance of the light.

Ryne felt Xemnas release his grip on him. Before he even had a chance to turn around, Xemnas had pushed Ryne through the light. Ryne stumbled forwards through the blinding whiteness, before landing on his knees. His body sank into the ground a bit from the weight. There was a sudden change in texture on the ground. His gaze wandered down beneath him.

Sand covered Ryne's hands as he kneeled in the soft grains. He blinked and looked around him. He was at a shoreline. He was at Destiny City's shoreline. He stood up slowly and looked behind him.

Xemnas stood there, the portal dispersing behind him. He had a blank look set across his face. He didn't seem to be amused anymore. He almost looked… serious.

Ryne watched him momentarily, before he took a step forwards toward him. He stopped after wards and glared at him. "Where is he?"

Xemnas stood there silently for a moment. The blood red gaze was locked on Ryne. "Look behind you." He replied.

Ryne hesitated, before turning around some. His gaze wandered across the ocean and towards the islands. His blue eyes searched out and wandered over the island. After all, Xemnas did say he was there. But… he couldn't see him. He turned back to give him an angry stare. "He's not here. You're a liar!"

Xemnas frowned a bit and he glared right back at him. "I'm not a liar boy. He's there. Look closer. Expand your view."

Ryne looked at him with mistrust on his face. He turned back however and stared back at the island that lay before him. His eyes scanned across the tree house, and past the beach. They moved past the shack, and past the bridge. But his eyes stopped however on the small bit of land that the bridge lead to. His eyes focused in on the Paupo Tree that grew on the island. His eyes wandered over the curve of the tree until it stopped abruptly on what lay on the tree.

Attached to the tree lay a figure. The man's hands and legs were tied up against the tree. A strip of material was also tied around his mouth. His head was hung low, and his body sagged forwards a bit. It was hard to tell, but it looked like blood was dripping off of his body. Ryne's gaze lowered to the ground beneath the man. And sure enough a crimson puddle lay at his feet.

Ryne staggered forwards a bit and he looked ahead to stare at his brother. Tears had flooded his vision. His view of Riku started to blur as the tears dripped down the sides of his face now. His lip trembled as he tried to form words. He couldn't bring himself to speak however.

Xemnas came up behind him quietly, and he looked ahead to where Riku was. He smiled a bit, and folded his arms behind his back. "It's really quite a shame. Riku is such a nuisance to me. Especially since he's in the way of getting what I want." He murmured before his gaze landed down upon Ryne. When he saw that the other wasn't moving, he continued. "He's not dead." Xemnas paused for a moment to smirk. "Yet." A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "You can still save him though."

Ryne spun around at that point to look up at Xemnas. His eyes were wide, the tears still running down his cheeks. "How! Tell me how!" He practically demanded the other.

Xemnas' gaze wandered over Ryne. The amusement was beginning to show in his eyes again. "It's quite simple really. All you have to do is swim your way across and get to him."

Ryne's blood went ice cold. His body seemed to turn to stone as he stood there. He kept dead silent as he continued to watch Xemnas. _Swim… _"But…" His voice was starting to crack a bit. "I…" His eyes shifted to look down at the ground. "I can't swim…"

Xemnas started to grin harshly and he started to laugh more. "I know." He said through malicious chuckles. "It's so easy, Ryne." He began as he started to move around him. "Look at how close your brother is. Look at how close you are to saving him."

Ryne's eyes shut firmly, his fists clenching tightly. They trembled a bit from how tight his grip was. Xemnas was right. He was so close to Riku. It was only about a kilometer away. It wasn't that far. It wasn't that far… and he couldn't even swim that small distance to save his own brother. Ryne clenched his jaw as he fought an inner war with himself. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair… Riku… he was going to die because of him. But… he couldn't let Xemnas do this… he couldn't…

"I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to just give yourself up to me. I'm sure you're quite tired." Xemnas looked back at the island. He was obviously enjoying this a bit too much. "You could always stay with me… if you don't want to go and rescue him."

Ryne's eyes snapped open at that point. "No…" He muttered softly, and shook his head. "No!" He yelled at Xemnas now before turning around and started to run. He ran across the sand, and into the ocean. The feeling of the waves splashing against his feet caused him to falter only slightly before he continued to press forward. He moved further into the water, his strides slowing by the weight of the water.

It was up to his knees now… and it was rising steadily as he continued to make his way towards the island. It only took a few moments before the ocean had come up to his neck. He was on his tiptoes now.

Ryne looked towards the island where Riku lay. "Riku!" He called out hopelessly to the other. He waited for a response as he forced himself to continue to keep up on his toes. "Riku!" He choked out his name as a sob came forth from his throat. His brother didn't answer him. He continued to sag against the tree unconsciously.

Ryne continued to stand there a moment longer before he pushed up on his feet. He made the first effort at trying to swim towards the island. He forced himself through the water, trying to keep his head up as much as possible. His gaze was locked on Destiny Island. He needed to get there… he needed to get to his brother.

Ryne tried to focus on his movements in the water as much as possible. He focused on trying to keep his mouth from getting water in it, and to keep afloat by treading. His strokes weren't graceful, and were sloppy if anything. But he was moving… He was inching closer to the island. His body was weakening though. It was telling him to give up. Telling him to just leave Riku. But he couldn't. He needed to get his brother back. He had too…He thrust his feet through the water as he continued to dog paddle himself toward the island. He was halfway there. He was in the dead center of the ocean now. His body was weighing heavier and heavier. Tears that had formed in his eyes from fear blinded his vision now. The weight of his clothing was beginning to become too much. He tilted his head up further when his feet had started to slow. His arms had soon started to fall short now as well. They were becoming heavier and heavier by the minute. He shut his eyes, trying to push himself to tread.

The water was beginning to slosh up the sides of his face now. He couldn't continue this. The water was starting to move into his mouth now. Ryne sputtered it out trying to move forwards, but only failed in the process. The water was beginning to flow inside of his mouth more. He couldn't cough it out this time. It began to fill his lungs as he started to sink deeper into the water. His vision started to distort as his head sunk underneath the surface of the water.

_This can't be happening… My life can't end this way… _

Ryne's body fell into the depths steadily. His weight carried him down further into the ocean. His arm rose up to reach out towards the surface helplessly. Water had completely filled his lungs at that point. He couldn't breathe… couldn't breathe.

_I can't die… not here. Not now. I need to save Riku. I need him…_

Random thoughts began to flood his mind at that point. He knew what it was. It was that cliché of his life passing before his eyes. But there were no pleasant memories for him to remember. Just thoughts of what had happened in his years. He really had no happy recollections of his life. Except for one.

_Riku…_

Ryne's eyes began to close some as they had started to cloud. The lids closed halfway, letting his arm continue to drift upwards. His body felt so heavy. His head was throbbing, and his heart. It was painfully slowing down to almost nothing. It hurt. But it was also almost blissful… He could see white spots around the waters surrounding him. The eyes began to close as the world around him started to shut off.

_I… wish… I could have done more._

_  
Brother…_

Below him a portal of darkness had opened up on the ocean floor. It swirled viciously underneath him as Ryne continued to sink further. His eyes shut fully as he succumbed himself now to his fate. It was the end. There was no use trying to continue to fight against it. It was useless…

_I'm sorry…_

His hand stopped reaching out towards the skies above him. It fell limp as he continued to fall downward. His eyes closed and his world started to become a mass of blinding white.  
In his spectacle of brightness however, a shadow started to form. It seemed to become larger by the second. It was beginning to cover up his light. It was the only light that was left as he fell towards the portal below. His precious light.

_No… Go away…_

He forced his eyes to open even when he felt his heart begin to slow. The shadow was still there. He couldn't quite make it all out, but. It seemed to have limbs. The shadow was swimming. It was swimming towards him. And… was that red hair?

One of those limbs reached out to him now. It was a hand. And it moved to lace its finger in between Ryne's now. Ryne forced everything that was left in him to close his hand around this figures grasp. This figure had started to pull him up towards the surface now. He could feel the water begin to pass his body as the shadow pulled him upwards and away from the portal of darkness. He willed himself to look at the red-haired silhouette one last time before his vision had faded completely.

**(Chapter Six In Progress)**

**On a side Note:**  
This story seems a bit confusing, I know.  
But a lot. I mean _a lot_ will be explained in Chapter Six.  
When I get around to it...

**© Stravik, 2006**


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